Objectives: Rehospitalization of nursing home (NH) residents is frequent, costly, potentially avoidable and associated with diminished quality of life and poor survival. This study aims to evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of the Regular Early Assessment Post-Discharge (REAP) protocol of coordinated specialist geriatrician and nurse practitioner visits on rates of rehospitalization, hospital length of stay, and emergency department presentations for NH residents recently discharged from hospital.
Design: Prospective randomized controlled study of recently hospitalized NH residents.
Setting: Twenty-one of 24 eligible NHs within the geographical catchment area of St George Hospital, a 650-bed university hospital in Sydney, Australia.
Participants: NH residents from eligible facilities admitted to St George Hospital's geriatric service were enrolled prior to hospital discharge.
Intervention: REAP intervention of monthly coordinated specialist geriatrician and nurse practitioner assessments within participants' NHs for 6 months following hospital discharge.
Measurements: Impact of the REAP intervention on hospital readmissions, hospital inpatient days, emergency department utilization, general practitioner visits, investigations and associated costs during the study intervention period.
Results: Forty-three NH residents were randomly allocated to REAP intervention (n = 22) or control (n = 21) groups. The REAP intervention group had almost two-thirds fewer hospital readmissions (P = .03; Cohen's d = 0.73) and half as many emergency department visits than controls. Total costs were 50% lower in the REAP intervention group, with lower total hospital inpatient (P = .04; Cohen's d = 0.63) and total emergency department (P = .04; Cohen's d = 0.65) costs.
Conclusion: Cost-effective reductions in the utilization of hospital-related services were demonstrated following implementation of the REAP intervention for NH residents recently discharged from hospital.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.12.008 | DOI Listing |
Diarrhea is a global public health problem that is the third leading cause of death in under five years, with an estimated 1.7 billion cases in 2023 and 1.8 million deaths from diarrhea diseases every year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Open
December 2024
Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Introduction: Urgent, tailored and equitable action is needed to address the alarming rise in syphilis rates in Canada. In the last decade, the rates of infectious syphilis have increased by 345% in Ontario, Canada. Underserved populations-people who use drugs, un(der)housed individuals and those living in rural and remote areas-face unique social and healthcare challenges that increase their vulnerability to syphilis infections and hinder their access to timely diagnosis and treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAIMS Public Health
December 2024
Departments of Urban Public Health, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Background: The Family Income-to-Poverty-Ratio (FIPR) is a recognized indicator of socioeconomic status, and influences a wide range of health and behavioral outcomes. Yet, marginalized and racialized groups, particularly Black individuals, may not reap comparable health benefits from their socioeconomic advancements as their non-Hispanic, White counterparts. This discrepancy is indicative of a phenomenon known as the minorities' diminished returns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast Cancer Res Treat
January 2025
University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Purpose: To identify needs of metastatic breast cancer patients prior to starting a new systemic treatment.
Methods: Fifty patients with newly diagnosed, recurrent, or progressive metastatic breast cancer completed an electronic survey which included patient-reported outcome measures of function (PROMIS Cancer Function Brief 3D profile), quality of life (FACT-G), exercise (Godin Leisure-Time exercise questionnaire), and diet (REAP-S); demographic information; and self-reported use of or referral to specific resources at the cancer center prior to beginning a new systemic oncologic treatment.
Results: Prior to starting a new treatment for metastatic breast cancer, patients reported mild functional impairment (PROMIS Cancer Function Brief 3D profile mean score:42.
Clin Anat
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Nowadays, consent to use donor bodies for medical education and research is obtained from the body donors and their families before the donation. Recently, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) published guidelines that could restrict the appearance of cadaveric images in commercial anatomical resources such as textbooks and other educational products. These guidelines state that the donor must expressly consent to using such images for this purpose.
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